Privacy Policy
mQOL platform users have a choice to receive health-related materials that are personalized for them. If you entrust your personal data to mQOL for this purpose, you have certain privacy rights.
For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “personal data” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked (directly or indirectly) with an individual or household. Sometimes, you may have heard “personal data” referred to as “personal information” or “personally identifiable information” or “PII.” These terms generally mean the same thing.
We want you to understand how our product collects your personal data, how we use your personal data to deliver personalized health-related materials to you, and how we protect your personal data. We also want you to understand what your rights are when it comes to your personal data. This Privacy Policy tells you those things.
1. What are our values?
At mQOL, we believe that accurate, personalized health information helps you better participate in your healthcare and advocate for yourself. We deliver health-related materials that support cancer patients and their care teams.
We respect your privacy choices. When you consent to our use of your personal health information to facilitate communication with your healthcare providers, we handle this data securely and in compliance with HIPAA regulations. When you ask us to stop using your personal data, we promptly honor that request.
All patient data is encrypted and protected with appropriate safeguards to maintain confidentiality and security throughout your care journey.
2. What does this Privacy Policy cover? And what does it not cover?
At mQOL, we believe in providing informative content about health and quality of life measurement. Our website delivers materials that support understanding our services and approach to healthcare improvement.
We respect your privacy choices regarding website interactions. When you give us permission to use your data for marketing communications, we do.
This Privacy Policy covers how mQOL.com (our public marketing website) collects and processes visitor information. This includes information you voluntarily provide when signing up for marketing communications, newsletters, other sources, or contacting us through our website forms.
This Privacy Policy does not cover information collected through our other platform services.
4. How do we protect your personal data?
Privacy and security are top priorities to us – not boxes to be checked during a once-a-year review. At every level of our organization, we have measures and protocols in place to protect your information, and we foster a culture focused on safeguarding data.
5. How do we use your personal data?
To share personalized health-related materials with you.
We may use your personal data to show you personalized messages, surveys, or other material related to your healthcare.
We may also use your personal data to help us understand general trends about groups of users on our platform and the types of content those groups are likely to find helpful, as well as to measure the effectiveness of the health-related materials that we present to you on our platform.
To create de-identified health information.
We may use your personal data to create data sets of de-identified health information by removing information that identifies you (for example, your name) or which could be used to identify you (for example, your street address). Once de-identified, this data no longer relates to you and is no longer considered “personal data” that is governed by this Privacy Policy. We may use de-identified information for various purposes, including internal business analytics, product improvement purposes, and to measure the effectiveness of content shown to you.
To provide security.
We protect your personal data using security practices that we regularly review and update. We may be required to access your personal data to provide appropriate security. For example, we may verify activity, investigate suspicious activity, and detect and prevent security threats.
6. When is your personal data disclosed?
Your personal data may be disclosed only under limited circumstances, such as for one of the purposes described below:
Your Healthcare Provider
The personal information we receive or obtain through your healthcare providers use of the Services may be subject to different state and federal privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its implementing regulations (“HIPAA”). Descriptions in this Privacy Policy regarding our collection, use and disclosure of personal information may be subject to or further restricted by the requirements of these laws. In addition, where mQOL collects, creates, maintains, uses and discloses Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which is personally identifiable health information protected by HIPAA, we may be and likely are subject to certain agreements with health care providers. In those cases, our collection, creation, maintenance, use and disclosure of PHI will be in accordance with such agreements and your healthcare providers Notice of Privacy Practices, where applicable. For official notices concerning, or for more information or questions about, the use and disclosure of your PHI, please refer to your healthcare providers Notice of Privacy Practices, as applicable.
Service Providers
With contractual provisions appropriate to protect your privacy and security, we use service providers to help us operate. In this context, service providers are those that we pay to help us store or otherwise process your personal data. For example, we may use cloud computing companies to process personal data when we provide our services. These service providers are contractually required to protect and secure your information.
Legal and Government Access
We will not share your personal data with law enforcement, government agencies, or private litigants unless such a disclosure is required by a valid and legally binding request.
If we receive a law enforcement request for your personal data, we will try to inform you by providing you a notice by sending an email to you at an email address we have on file for you, unless the law does not allow us to provide this notice to you.
Business Organizations
We may disclose your personal data in connection with any business combination, securities offering, bankruptcy, reorganization, dissolution or other similar transaction. In such case, your personal data would remain subject to the provisions of this Privacy Policy, unless amended as described below.
7. How long do we store your personal data?
Typically, we retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. In certain situations, we must retain all, or a portion, of your personal data to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, to protect against fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal activity, or for another one of our business purposes. To determine how long we will retain your personal data, we may consider the volume and sensitivity of the personal data, the purposes for which we collect and use the personal data, applicable legal and regulatory requirements, or our retention or recordkeeping policies and obligations.
8. What privacy laws apply?
We take your privacy seriously, no matter where you live. However, if you live in certain states, particular rights may be available to you under your state’s laws. This section describes those rights as well.
Certain State Privacy Laws
Residents of certain U.S. states, such as California, Colorado, Connecticut and Virginia may have personal data rights under the laws of their state (“State Privacy Laws”). Be sure to check your local laws for additional detail.
Sharing and Selling with Third Parties
We have not shared or sold personal data with third parties, as defined under State Privacy Laws. As noted above, we only provide limited personal data to the sponsors of health-related materials on our platform when you specifically request further material directly from the sponsor.
Your Rights, How to Exercise Your Rights, and How to Contact Us
You, or your authorized agent, may exercise any of your State Privacy Law rights by emailing mQOL’s Privacy Officer at privacy@mQOL.com or writing to Privacy Officer, mQOL, Inc., 6489 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120. Before we can implement your request, we will need to confirm your identity.
You can also contact our Privacy Officer at the methods listed above if you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our information practices.
Right to Know and Access the Personal Data We Collect and Share
You have a right to request that we disclose the personal data we have collected about you, the categories of personal data we have collected, the sources of the personal data, and the purposes of the collection. Much of that information is set forth in this Privacy Policy. We will disclose and deliver the required information within 90 calendar days of receiving your request. This 90-day period may be extended once by an additional 90 days when reasonably necessary, however we must give you notice of this extension. You may make this request twice a year, free of charge.
Right of Deletion
You may request that we delete the personal data we have collected about you, subject to certain legal exemptions.
Right of Correction
You have a right to correct any inaccurate personal data we maintain about you.
Right to Non-Discrimination
You have a right not to receive discriminatory treatment for the exercise of privacy rights conferred to you under State Privacy Laws.
Retention
As described above, we retain your information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
9. How will changes to this Privacy Policy be handled?
mQOL works hard to be transparent about the ways in which we use your personal data. We know that you trusted us with your personal data, and we will do everything we can to honor that trust.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We want to ensure that this Privacy Policy stays up to date. To ensure that it does, we look to any relevant changes in law or regulation at the federal or state level, as well as regulatory guidance. We monitor the development of new technologies and practices that may impact the privacy of your personal data, learnings that can be gleaned from publications on topics relevant to user privacy, and the practices of stakeholders and participants in our industry, including feedback that our clients and users share with us.
If we do update our Privacy Policy, we will update this webpage. You can determine when this Privacy Policy was last revised by referring to the date at the bottom of this page. Any changes to our Privacy Policy will become effective upon posting of the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to bookmark this webpage and to periodically review it to ensure familiarity with the most current version of our Privacy Policy.
10. SMS/Text Messaging
mQOL collects mobile phone numbers from patients, healthcare providers, and others to send text messages related to care, appointments, symptom monitoring, and quality-of-life surveys. We obtain your consent before sending text messages, either through an enrollment process or directly through our platform. We use these numbers only to deliver healthcare-related communications through our platform on behalf of participating clinics, or providers.
Message frequency may vary based on your care plan or participation in specific programs. Message and data rates may apply. You can opt out of text messages at any time by replying REMOVE to any message, or by contacting your clinic or provider. Reply HELP for help.
We do not sell or share mobile phone numbers, SMS consent information, or SMS message content with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes. We may share mobile numbers and messaging data with our service providers (such as telecommunications carriers and messaging vendors) solely as needed to deliver the text messaging services described above, under appropriate contracts and safeguards. We retain records of SMS consent and opt-out requests as required by applicable regulations and carrier guidelines.
Effective Date: January 01, 2025